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MEMORANDUM <br />TO: SANDY BROWN, DRMS; ELIZABETH SHAEFFER, OSM <br />FROM: ROB ZUBER, DRMS <br />SUBJECT: TOPSOIL MANAGEMENT AT TRAPPER MINE <br />DATE: 9/22/2011 <br />A joint inspection was conducted at Trapper Mine by DRMS and OSM on May 25, 2011. One of the <br />special focus topics was to evaluate topsoil stripping and storing activities by Trapper Mining Inc. <br />(TMI). <br />Based on this inspection, a portion of the narrative from the 2011 OSM Evaluation Report is provided <br />here in italics. <br />DRMS responses follow each paragraph. These are based on observations made during a <br />September 21, 2011 inspection at the Trapper Mine site, which was partially a follow -up to the <br />inspection in May. <br />Ground squirrels have burrowed into many of the stockpiles and established a habitat. Consequently, <br />badgers have been drawn to the area for this food source and have subsequently temporarily taken <br />over the ground squirrels' home. In these areas, the vegetation establishment is impeded and <br />surface conditions are hummocky. <br />Animal burrows have been filled in on topsoil piles E94 -2 and JG -7. <br />Many of the piles have been added to, borrowed from, or hastily constructed. These piles have <br />uneven vegetative cover or are bare and will likely need to be reseeded to control loss of resource. <br />Work has been performed on Z1 -09. Some of the pile has been moved away from the power line. Per <br />Billy Nicholson, the TMI reclamation projects foreman, more will be completed in the next week, and <br />the remainder of the work will be completed in 2011. The work slated for the near future entails <br />hauling approximately 80,000 cubic yards to F Pit (the pile currently contains approximately 125,000 <br />cubic yards per Mr. Nicholson). Later this year, the remainder will be hauled to the Horse Gulch Fill <br />and some will be used on the reclamation area immediately adjacent to the pile. <br />Per Mr. Nicholson, the ASH -10 topsoil pile will be used in reclamation this fall. Weeds have grown on <br />this pile over the summer to provide some stabilization until the soil is hauled away. <br />Many of the topsoil stockpiles were lacking the required identification markers (Rule 4.02.7, Topsoil <br />Markers). These are essential in protecting the topsoil resource so that it is not inadvertently <br />disturbed. <br />